The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has urged journalists to provide accurate, timely and unbiased information ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola, also called on media organisations to support the commission’s voter education and public enlightenment programmes to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
Babalola made the appeal on Monday during a press conference in Osogbo, where she outlined INEC’s preparations, operational arrangements and outstanding activities ahead of the elections.
She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the conduct of free, fair, credible, inclusive and transparent elections.
The REC disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 activities on its election timetable, adding that efforts were ongoing to meet the remaining deadlines.
According to her, the official register of voters would be published on December 15, while the notice of poll would be released on December 29.
She said campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections would end on January 14, while those for the State House of Assembly election would close on February 4.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the State House of Assembly election is slated for February 6.
On voter registration, Babalola said the commission had displayed the preliminary register across registration areas in the state, allowing residents to verify their details and submit claims or objections before the final register is published.
She disclosed that INEC had distributed 1,903,390 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the recent governorship election, representing 81.5 per cent of the available cards, while 457,260 remained uncollected.
She added that another 7,547 PVCs were distributed after the exercise resumed on October 9, bringing the distribution rate to 81.74 per cent.
On election technology, the REC assured residents that the commission had adequate Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for the state’s 3,763 polling units.
She said INEC had 38 additional units and 1,328 backup machines to support voter authentication, accreditation and the uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Babalola further disclosed that recruitment of ad hoc election personnel had commenced through the commission’s portal, stressing that the process would prioritise competence, neutrality, integrity and professionalism.
She said training had commenced for electoral officials, including collation support and result verification officers, while further exercises would cover security personnel and other categories of election workers.
On security, the REC revealed that INEC had conducted a ground-truthing exercise across all 30 local government areas in Osun to identify security flashpoints and capture their geographical coordinates.
According to her, the identified locations had been shared with security agencies to facilitate preventive measures, while the commission would deploy its INEC Security and Notification System to monitor threats and respond to incidents.
She also disclosed that Osun had 98 Super Registration Area Centres and 97 Registration Area Centres designated to accommodate electoral personnel before their deployment.
Addressing voter education, Babalola said the commission had intensified sensitisation programmes targeting women, youths, persons with disabilities and other groups through radio, television, jingles and stakeholder engagements.
She added that the media accreditation portal was activated on October 30 and would remain open until December 1, urging media organisations to complete their registration before the deadline.
The REC called for sustained cooperation among the media, security agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to ensure the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
